Mae West: Her Best Invention

MAE WEST enjoyed copious coverage in Time Magazine ― some of it positive such as her 1978 interview with Gerald Clarke. This is Part 9 of 15 segments.
• • "Show Business: At 84 Mae West Is Still Mae West" • •
• • Mae West: None of the pathos • •
• • Gerald Clarke wrote: There is, in fact, none of the pathos of the aging star about Mae, none of the desperate anxiety of the character played by Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard.
• • Gerald Clarke wrote: Dressed in a white pants suit, her lips painted a bright, girlish peach, she is jollity itself.

• • Gerald Clarke wrote: The famous laugh, which percolates leisurely to the throat, is young and vital still.
• • Gerald Clarke wrote: Mae West is her own best invention, and no one believes in it or enjoys it more than she herself.
• • Gerald Clarke wrote: "All I look for is harmony," says Mae West.
• • Mae West: "If I argue, I get nasty” • • …   
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Time Magazine; issue dated for Monday, 22 May 1978.
• • On Tuesday, 1 September 1931 • •
• • After "The Constant Sinner" (set in Harlem) opened, Variety made its feelings known in their issue dated for Tuesday, 1 September 1931.  Variety noted: "Diamond Lil" was a Mother Goose story compared to this one.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West's blunt sexuality made her both famous and notorious and despite her advancing age she quickly built a reputation as a daring sex symbol. Such was her success that within three years it was claimed she was the second highest paid person in the United States behind only newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: “There was the robber, waving his gun in my face, and asking me to turn over my jewels to him. I said, 'Listen, big boy, you can have the jewels, but do you mind lowering that gun a bit? I can always get more jewels, but I've got to have my face to do it with!'"
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article in Vogue by Cecelia Ager discussed Mae West.
• • “Mae West Reveals the Foundation of the 1900 Mode” • •
• • Cecelia Ager wrote: The Mae West silhouette, so unselfishly revealed in “She Done Him Wrong” is not, then, chance ― ― but the ultimate triumph of a lifelong conviction. Mae West’s childhood intimates, it turns out, have not betrayed her.
• • Cecelia Ager wrote: Old-fashioned about a great many things, she believes in the Battle of the Sexes ― ― and in being well equipped for the fray. …
• • Source: Vogue Magazine; published on Friday, 1 September 1933
• • The evolution of 2 Mae West plays that keep her memory alive • •
• • A discussion with Mae West playwright LindaAnn LoSchiavo — —
• • http://lideamagazine.com/renaissance-woman-new-york-city-interview-lindaann-loschiavo/
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 18th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eighteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 5,000 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eighteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 5,072nd blog post. Unlike many blogs, which draw upon reprinted content from a newspaper or a magazine and/ or summaries, links, or photos, the mainstay of this blog is its fresh material focused on the life and career of Mae West, herself an American original.

• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
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• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • at home in 1954 • •
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Mae West: Russell Hardie

MAE WEST spent the summer of 1931 in rehearsals with her upcoming large scale play “The Constant Sinner.” Set in Harlem, the heroine Babe Gordon calls herself “a prizefighter’s tart.”
• • William Russell Hardie played the role of the boxer Bearcat Delaney, who fell madly in love with Babe Gordon and threw away his career, in “The Constant Sinner.”

• • Burns Mantle wrote in The N.Y. Daily News: “As the fighter, Russell Hardie has to indulge in several love scenes with the husky Mae."
• • William Russell Hardie [20 May 1904 ― 21 July 1973] • •
• • Born in Buffalo, NY, actor William Russell Hardie portrayed the besotted boxer Bearcat Delaney in “The Constant Sinner” ― written by and starring Mae West.
• • Middleweight champ Bearcat Delaney (Russell Hardie) cannot satisfy the ravenous sexual appetite of his wife Babe Gordon (Mae West) so she takes on the handsome and very wealthy department store heir Wayne Baldwin.
• • Starting in 1929, the handsome hunk was cast in 25 Broadway dramas including “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “The Andersonville Trial.” His last stage role was in 1961.
• • The Hollywood film industry also embraced Hardie. In 1930, he had a supporting role in “The Costello Case,” an early-sound crime, mystery, suspense thriller about a murdered mortician. In the cast was Roscoe Karns, who has scenes with Mae West in “Night After Night” (1932); another cast mate of Russell Hardie's was William B. Davidson, who plays the chump in Mae West starrer “I’m No Angel.”
• • Russell Hardie was also kept busy with appearances in Broadway to Hollywood, Stage Mother, Christopher Bean, As the Earth Turns, Men in White, Operator 13, Murder in the Private Car, Pursued, Hell in the Heavens, The Band Plays On, Sequoia, West Point of the Air, Speed Devils, In Old Kentucky, The Harvester, Down to the Sea, Meet Nero Wolfe, Killer at Large, Camille, The Frogmen, The Whistle at Eaton Falls, Cop Hater, Fail Safe, and The Group, his farewell film.
• • Hardie died on Saturday, 21 July 1973 in Clarence, New York. He was age 69.  
• • Burns Mantle wrote: As the prizefighter, Russell Hardie has to indulge in several love scenes with the husky Mae. Although there are many colored actors, George Givot, white, plays the dark-skinned policy king. Arthur R. Vinton is authentic as a fight manager, and Donald Kirke, Walter Glass, and Walter Petrie help things along.
• • Source: Drama Review, The N.Y. Daily News; published on Wednesday, 16 September 1931.
• • On Saturday, 1 July 1933 • •
• • A Mickey Mouse cartoon, "Mickey's Gala Premiere," was released on Saturday, 1 July 1933. Mae West is one of the celebrities who makes an appearance.
• • July 2004: Mae West Blog launches • •
• • What are we up to, writing about the Brooklyn-born bombshell for eighteen years now?
• • We’re here to keep Mae mavens up to date, correct errors, celebrate each revival of a play she wrote, post the latest Westian stage and book reviews. And answer our fan mail!
• • The light’s still on. Come up and see Mae every day.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • In past years, Steel Pier showcased some of the biggest names in show business, including Mae West, Guy Lombardo, and Benny Goodman.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "You learn to get along in life by studying life."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A fan magazine mentioned Mae West.
• • "Goin' to Town" — Paramount — Mae West, pursuing the man instead of being pursued, in a fast-moving, wise-cracking film, that will keep you laughing. (May)
• • Note: The script was originally written for James Cagney, a jockey who tries to break into society.
• • Note: In her syndicated column, Louella Parsons wrote: Gene Markey and Kathryn Scola have written an original for James Cagney called "Goin' to Town" and, although Jimmy Cagney plays a race track Jockey, he tries no rough tactics. In fact, he breaks into society and becomes the idol of the tony Four Hundred. "Goin' to Town" follows "The Heir Chaser" and it's one to a million he will have Joan Blondell with him on account of popular demand. …
• • Source: Photoplay Magazine; published in the issue dated for July 1935
• • The evolution of 2 Mae West plays that keep her memory alive • •
• • A discussion with Mae West playwright LindaAnn LoSchiavo — —
• • http://lideamagazine.com/renaissance-woman-new-york-city-interview-lindaann-loschiavo/
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 18th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eighteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 5,000 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started eighteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 5,028th blog post. Unlike many blogs, which draw upon reprinted content from a newspaper or a magazine and/ or summaries, links, or photos, the mainstay of this blog is its fresh material focused on the life and career of Mae West, herself an American original.

• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
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• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • onstage in 1931 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Donald Kirke

MAE WEST spent the summer of 1931 in rehearsals with her upcoming large scale play “The Constant Sinner.” Set in Harlem, the drama opened on Monday, 14 September 1931 and ran for 64 performances on Broadway.
• • Donald Kirke played the role of Harry in “The Constant Sinner.”
• • Burns Mantle wrote in The N.Y. Daily News:  Although there are many colored actors in “The Constant Sinner,” George Givot, white, plays the policy king. Arthur R. Vinton is authentic as a fight manager, and Donald Kirke, Walter Glass, and Walter Petrie help things along.
• • Donald Kirke [17 May 1901 ― 18 May 1971] • •

• • Born on Friday, 17 May 1901 in Jersey City, New Jersey, Donald Kirke was a stage actor who had honed his craft (as Mae did) in vaudeville. After five years of doing an 11-minute act, he was ready for the legit.
• • Kirke was cast in several roles in Broadway dramas and comedies from 1928 —1931 such as “Gang War” [20 August, 1928 — Oct 1928] produced at Morosco Theatre; “Remote Control” [Sep 10, 1929 — Nov 1929], “The Old Rascal” [March 24, 1930 — May 1930], “A Woman Denied” [Feb 25, 1931 — March 1931] ― ― followed by “The Constant Sinner.”
• • By 1932, Kirke was on the West Coast auditioning in Hollywood.
• • On the silver screen, Kirke was notable for “Women Won't Tell” (1932), where he worked with Dewey Robinson, so memorable in the Mae West starrer “She Done Him Wrong” (1933).
• • In the mystery film “The Shadow” (1937), Kirke was cast along with Marjorie Main, who played Mae West’s mother in the short-lived drama “The Wicked Age” (1927) on Broadway; Mae West wrote the play and starred as Babe Carson, a pageant princess.
• • In “Paradise Express” (1937), Kirke played the head of the Armstrong Trucking Company, who will lock horns with the film’s leading man, Grant Withers, a railroad owner. More often seen on a Western saddle, Grant Withers [1905 —1959] played a cowboy in Mae West starrer “Goin' To Town” (1935).
• • Kirke died on Tuesday, 18 May 1971 in Los Angeles County, California. He was 70 years old.
• • On Wednesday, 30 June 1937 • •  
• • "Mae West Comes East to Singapore" • •
• • "Bright Dialogue at The Pavilion" • •

• • The Straits Times wrote: With typically robust humour, Mae West returns with curves and wisecracks... the film "Go West Young Man" is mainly notable for its crisp dialogue....
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • In case you don't savvy the argot of the criminal underground, the "finger man" of a mob is the fellow who points out the victim and the location to nab him.
• • Mae West, Betty Compson, and one of the many Marxes [Marx Brothers] are only a few of those who are reputed to have had the "finger" put on them at various times.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "The time to worry is when they stop talking about you."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Morning Bulletin mentioned Mae West.
• • "It Ain't No Sin" — Mae West Film Banned in New York! • •
• • Hollywood, June 25th — On the eve of its release, Mae West's new film, 'It Ain't No Sin,' has been banned in New York State. Officials of the Paramount Company state that this film will be recalled and considerably altered before it is released. ...
• • Source: Morning Bulletin; published on Thursday, 28 June 1934
• • The evolution of 2 Mae West plays that keep her memory alive • •
• • A discussion with Mae West playwright LindaAnn LoSchiavo — —
• • http://lideamagazine.com/renaissance-woman-new-york-city-interview-lindaann-loschiavo/
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 17th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past seventeen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 5,000 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seventeen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 5,027th blog post. Unlike many blogs, which draw upon reprinted content from a newspaper or a magazine and/ or summaries, links, or photos, the mainstay of this blog is its fresh material focused on the life and career of Mae West, herself an American original.

• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
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• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • artwork from 1935 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: Hollywood Hibernation

Malcolm H. Oettinger profiled MAE WEST for Screenland. Since this interview has rarely been seen, let us enjoy it together. This is part 9 of 13.
• • “Going West” • •   
• • Mae West: Hollywood is a nice place to hibernate • •
• • Malcolm H. Oettinger wrote: Mae West told me, “We go through the action the way it'll be after I get all the lines filled in.”  

• • Malcolm H. Oettinger wrote: Mae West told me, “My secretary makes a note of everything, and before you know it, an act's set.”  
• • Malcolm H. Oettinger wrote: Mae West told me, “Then we do two more and we have the show ready."
• • Malcolm H. Oettinger wrote: Mae thinks Hollywood is a nice place to hibernate, but she decries the absence of night life in the film belt.
• • Mae West: Golden swan bed • • ...
• • This will be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Screenland; published in the issue dated for June 1933.
• • On Saturday, 5 May 1934 • •
• • "Mae West Arrives" was the headline on page 11 in Queensland's Morning Bulletin on Saturday, 5 May 1934. A host of compliments ran, like a elegant train, behind her.
• • Morning Bulletin wrote: Mae West makes you greedy. When you see "She Done Him Wrong," you want more and more of Mae. She is like the most thrilling serial story in the world.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West is long back in the days of her buxom prime.   
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "If we can send a man to the moon, why don’t we send all of 'em?"
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The United Press mentioned Mae West.
• • Mae West Impatient as 'Marriages' List Grows • •

• • Hollywood, April 24 (By United Press) — — Mae West, curvesome lady of the screen, today called for a showdown to settle the somewhat confusing question of her spinsterhood. "I've got a sense of humor," she said. "Nobody can say I haven't. But this thing is going too far."
• • Patience Is Worn Thin • •
• • Mae's patience became a little worn when she was interrupted while saying "no" to reports of her marriage to one Frank Wallace and asked to explain, if she could, a report that a Mae West married one R. A. Bud Burmester in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1924.
• • "It's a lousy publicity gag, that's what it is," said Miss West, "and I'm not getting anything out of it. If this thing goes any further, I'll call for a real showdown." ...
• • Note: In April 1911, Mae West wed Frank Wallace. Realizing he had a chance to get alimony, her former husband went public with his story after she became famous. The actress denied this for several years.
• • Source: United Press; published on Wednesday, 24 April 1935
• • The evolution of 2 Mae West plays that keep her memory alive • •
• • A discussion with Mae West playwright LindaAnn LoSchiavo — —
• • http://lideamagazine.com/renaissance-woman-new-york-city-interview-lindaann-loschiavo/
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 17th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past seventeen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,900 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started seventeen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,987th blog post. Unlike many blogs, which draw upon reprinted content from a newspaper or a magazine and/ or summaries, links, or photos, the mainstay of this blog is its fresh material focused on the life and career of Mae West, herself an American original.

• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
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• • Be sure to bookmark or follow The Mae West Blog
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • onstage in 1930 • •
• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest

Mae West: A Perverted Theme

On Tuesday, 10 November 1931, a daily New York City columnist gave his readers a close up glimpse of MAE WEST. What he wrote in 1931 about the stage performer will surprise you. This is Part 2.
• • New York Day By Day — — O. O. McIntyre • •
• • The emergence of the Brooklyn bombshell • •  . . .
• • Born in Brooklyn, she began her footlight career in baby parts, graduating to vaudeville
singing with Harry Richman and Whispering Jack Smith as accompanists. But it was as a playwright and actress in her police-closed play “Sex” that brought her first page notoriety.
• • This was followed by "The Drag,” threaded with a perverted theme and banned from the Rialto. Whatever one’s critical opinion of Miss West s histrionic ability or her material, there are few who can deny that in the smart routine of her risque lines she packs a dramatic punch.

• • I have rarely seen a more electric moment in the theater when as "Diamond Lil," in her play by that name, she chirps to a street salvationist with a side-of-the-mouth defiance "Oh. you can be had!" It may be mawkish drama, but it is "good theater."
• • Mae West as Babe Gordon in “The Constant Sinner” • •  …
• • To be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Syndicated column; published on Tuesday, 10 November 1931.
• • On Friday, 13 November 1936 • •
• • "Mae West will go to Egypt to make a harem picture if she accepts the offer of a fez-wearing movie director from Cairo, who has been interviewing her for the past week," wrote a publicist from Paramount Pictures. This announcement was sent out over the wire on Friday the 13th (13 November 1936).
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West was costumed by Edith Head for her role in “Myra B.” as Leticia Van Allen.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I hold records all over the world. That's my ego, breaking records. So don't say they put me in someone else's room."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An article about mineral baths mentioned Mae West.
• • Julie Snyder wrote: According to Beautification Committee Chair Sherri Gavie, shortly after Kellogg’s discovery, the local mineral bath industry flourished, making Mount Clemens famous throughout the world as a health spa.
• • “During the heyday of the mineral bath era, 23 major hotels and bath houses along with many smaller hotels and rooming houses prospered,” she said. “Many celebrities, including Babe Ruth, Clark Gable and Mae West, came to partake in the healing waters. Sadly, around World War II, this thriving industry began to decline due to the manufacture of aspirin and other medicinal advances.”  …
• • Source: C and G News; published on Thursday, 1 November 2018
• • The evolution of 2 Mae West plays that keep her memory alive • • 
• • A discussion with Mae West playwright LindaAnn LoSchiavo — — 
• • http://lideamagazine.com/renaissance-woman-new-york-city-interview-lindaann-loschiavo/

• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 14th anniversary • •  

• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past fourteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,000 blog posts. Wow!  

• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fourteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4082nd blog post. Unlike many blogs, which draw upon reprinted content from a newspaper or a magazine and/ or summaries, links, or photos, the mainstay of this blog is its fresh material focused on the life and career of Mae West, herself an American original.

• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • in 1930 • •
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